"Why then the world's mine oyster, which I with sword will open."

OOTD and FOTD: My LBD from YesStyle for NYE

Hope everyone had a safe and happy Christmas! We lost power from a massive ice storm, so keeping warm was definitely a priority. I’m getting a little sick, but I refuse to miss another New Year’s Eve. One year I was down with the flu and it was horrible being alone and sick in the house while everyone was out.

I’m wearing a Little Black Dress for New Year’s Eve. Everyone’s got their favourite LBD – mine is this one by 59 Seconds from YesStyle.ca

I’m not sure what I was doing here, haha.

My favourite part about this dress is definitely the details on the back. It’s quite plain and unassuming from the front but from the back, the lace and tie-back are so unique and interesting.

The back doesn’t actually become undone, so it’s not something to worry about. It definitely adds interest to a plain LBD though. I bougtht this for $24 CAD at YesStyle.ca back in 2011. It’s no longer available, but there are still pictures of the dress here – it looks a bit different on the taller (and thinner) model.

I got the white tights from Forever 21 on sale. They’re not as sheer as regular tights so they’re a bit warmer, and I love the subtle pattern.

I don’t often put on a full face of makeup, but I went all out this time. I also wanted to try the Urban Decay Naked Skin Foundation, which I had purchased recently. It is the only liquid foundation I own without SPF, so I figured it should photograph better.

Order of usage:

Laura Mercier Foundation Primer

Urban Decay Naked Skin Foundation in 4.0

(I technically used concealer in this step, but I included it in my eye products picture instead)

Laura Mercier Translucent Pressed Setting Powder

Make Up For Ever Sculpting Blush in 16

Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzing Powder in Medium/Deep

I need to comment on the Urban Decay Naked Skin Foundation – it’s lightweight with light coverage, but the colour coverage is amazing. I’m not sure how many of you are familiar with “the Asian glow”, but here’s a little side story anyway:

I was at Sephora a few months ago, trying to brave an orange-based lipstick. The sales associate (SA), who was Caucasian, told me that to make it more wearable, my blush should match my lipstick. She grabbed an orange blush and applied it rather heavily on me. I looked in the mirror and exclaimed, “I look so drunk – I have the Asian glow!” A dark-skinned lady behind me looked up at that and she and the SA laughed, asking what Asian glow is.

A lot of Asians (myself included) get very red after consuming alcohol, regardless of whether or not we actually get drunk. I will get red with the slightest amount of alcohol and yet not be tipsy at all. The two ladies laughed heartily, having never heard of the Asian glow. But there you have it: the heavy-handed orange blush made me look very drunk at 4:00 pm at my local Sephora.

The blush she applied? It was the Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush… in the shade “Tipsy”. How appropriate.

After some wine with dinner, the Urban Decay Naked Skin Foundation covered ALL of the redness on my face. I knew that I was flushed from the wine because the rest of my body was quite red, but my face didn’t go red at all. No Asian glow for me tonight! I was very surprised and impressed by the coverage, even though it is a very lightweight foundation.

I opted for a matte blush and bronzer because they photograph better, especially with flash and in high definition. The Chocolate Soleil bronzer smells like cocoa, but the scent doesn’t transfer to your face. The MUFE blush in 16 is a very flattering shade, balanced well between pink and peach.

The background is different for my eye products because I had forgotten to include my eyeliner when I took pictures the first time around. Oops.

I finished off with my favourite lipstick, and a brow pencil that actually matches my hair colour.

Products:

NARS lipstick in Dolce Vita

Cyber Colors Auto Eyebrow Pen in 02 Gray

Dolce Vita is my my-lips-but-better shade, moisturizing and tasteless. I love eyebrow pencils that come with a brush, especially ones that I don’t have to sharpen. This pencil is perfect to travel with. It’s also rare to find a shade to go with black hair – I bought this on Sasa.com, I believe.

Not everyone likes to wear a LBD for New Year’s Eve, but I find that it helps hide the belly full of good food that inevitably comes with Christmas dinner. I’d love to see what you all wore!

Here’s to a wonderful year gone by, and hoping for an even better one to come. Happy New Year, my friends!